This invention relates to poured concrete walls, and more particularly, to a pouring window buck system and associated method for installing a window in a poured concrete wall.
In pouring walls of concrete such as residential basement walls, window openings are commonly formed in the concrete wall as it is being poured. In the past, it has been common to construct wood frames for window openings as a part of the wood wall forms for the concrete walls. After the poured concrete had set, the wood forms, including the wood window frames, were removed and at least the wood window frames had to be discarded. The cost of the wood window frames which are not reusable, and the labor required in building the frames were distinct disadvantages of this type of construction.
Another general method which has been used is a metal buck frame or surround which is positioned between the wall forms and cast in place in the concrete wall. When the wall forms are removed, the buck frame or surround is in place to form the periphery of the window opening. Unfortunately, these types of systems have been found to be subject to deformation during the pouring of the concrete. Additionally, cast in place buck frames or surrounds significantly increase the cost of a window installation because they are not reusable.
To avoid these disadvantages, various methods and systems have been proposed. For example, a reusable metal pouring window buck, which is positioned between the spaced wall forms, is one alternative. The bucks may be made in two parts or a single piece and when the concrete which has been poured around the buck has set, the buck is removed from the window opening formed in the resulting concrete wall. Typically, a window frame is detachably secured within the buck such that the window frame is cast in and remains in the window opening when the concrete sets and the buck is removed. Unfortunately, due to the heavy forces delivered by the concrete being poured around the buck, this method has proven, in many instances, to be unreliable to protect the window contained within the buck. In many instances, the window is damaged or broken during the pouring of the concrete requiring additional time, effort and expense in repairing or replacing the window cast in place in the poured concrete wall. Furthermore, vinyl window frames, while providing many advantages acknowledged in the industry are highly susceptible to being damaged during the pouring of the concrete wall in such systems. Therefore, many contractors avoid the use of vinyl window frames in poured concrete wall installations and pouring bucks of this type.
Another alternative to the removable pouring buck and window frame combination is a removable pouring buck which allows a window to be installed into the window opening in the concrete wall after the buck has been removed. In the past, One disadvantage to such systems is the need for additional and often complicated or cumbersome fasteners to secure the window frame into the window opening. Typically, the window frame must be screwed, nailed, anchored or otherwise secured into the window opening with an additional fastener thereby requiring additional installation work, materials, tools and labor. Moreover, in many such systems, the window cannot be easily removed for cleaning, repair and/or replacement once installed in the window opening.
An additional shortcoming of many known systems for installing windows in poured concrete walls is the inability to provide an accurate and stable positioning for the pouring buck, frame or the like between the spaced wall forms. This is very important because the position and orientation of the pouring buck is the resulting position and orientation of the window in the poured concrete wall. In the past, one method to maintain the position of the pouring buck between the wall forms has been to sandwich the buck between the spaced wall forms and rely upon the compressive force between the wall forms to hold the buck in position. However, the heavy forces of the concrete being poured around the buck has proven to be unsettling to the buck and this method is therefore unreliable for accurately and consistently maintaining the proper position and orientation of the buck between the wall forms.
Nails may be driven through wood wall forms and into wood portions of the pouring buck or wood window frames to position them relative to the wall forms. However, the nails must be pulled out prior to disassembling the wall forms which is time consuming and potentially damaging to the wall forms. Furthermore, this technique is only practical for use with wood wall forms and window frames.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved system and method for forming a window opening in a poured concrete wall and installing the window in that opening. The system and method should be economical, efficient and robust to withstand the forces of the poured concrete while allowing for the accurate and reliable positioning of the window in the poured concrete wall. Furthermore, the system and method must be applicable for a wide variety of window styles and materials.